Google buys Gecko Design startup to help with Google X projects

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Google plans to acquire Gecko Design, a product-design startup that has worked on everything from Fitbit to HP devices.

According to Bloomberg, California-based Gecko Design will join Google X, though terms of the deal haven't been disclosed. Google X is Google's secretive research lab that has been hard at work developing various moonshot ideas such as Google Glass, internet balloons, and driverless cars, among many other things.

Although it's not clear if Gecko Design will work on the Google X projects mentioned above, many of them are still in the prototype stage and have not recieved final, consumer-friendly designs. Gecko Design could also work on Google X efforts that have yet to be unveiled. After all, Google developed its driverless vehicle technology for more than a year before taking it public.

“This is an incredible opportunity for everyone at Gecko,” wrote Jacques Gagne, president and owner of Gecko, on the startup's site. “We are very excited and honored to join Google(x) and work on a variety of cutting edge projects.”